Hill’s Prescription Diet W/D Canine (Dry)

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Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Hill’s Prescription Diet W/D Canine dry dog food gets the Advisor’s lowest rating of 1 star.

The Hill’s Prescription Diet W/D Canine product line lists 2 dry dog foods, each designed to provide “weight control, diabetic, and digestive support for dogs prone to excess weight gain”1.

Since we could not locate AAFCO nutritional adequacy statements for these products on the Hill’s website, we’re unable to report life stage recommendations.

  • Hill’s Prescription Diet W/D Low Fat Diabetic GI
  • Hill’s Prescription Diet W/D Low Fat Diabetic GI with Chicken

Hill’s Prescription Diet W/D Canine dry dog food was selected to represent both products for this review.

Hill's Prescription Diet W/D Canine Low Fat Diabetic GI

Dry Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 19% | Fat = 9% | Carbs = 64%

Ingredients: Whole grain corn, powdered cellulose, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, chicken liver flavor, soybean mill run, soybean oil, dried beet pulp, soybean meal, caramel color, potassium chloride, calcium sulfate, flaxseed, l-lysine, vitamin E supplement, choline chloride, vitamins (l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), vitamin E supplement, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement), calcium carbonate, taurine, minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), iodized salt, l-tryptophan, l-carnitine, l-threonine, preserved with mixed tocopherols & citric acid, phosphoric acid, beta-carotene, rosemary extract

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 16.4%

Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients

The first ingredient in this dog food is corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

For this reason, we do not consider corn a preferred component in any dog food.

The second item is powdered cellulose, a non-digestible plant fiber usually made from the by-products of vegetable processing. Cellulose is sometimes added to dilute the number of calories per serving and to give the feeling of fullness when it is eaten.

Except for the usual benefits of fiber, powdered cellulose provides no nutritional value to a dog.

The third ingredient is chicken by-product meal, a dry rendered product of slaughterhouse waste. It’s made from what’s left of a slaughtered chicken after all the prime cuts have been removed.

In a nutshell, chicken by-products are those unsavory leftovers usually considered “unfit for human consumption”.

In addition to organs (the nourishing part), this stuff can contain almost anything — feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs — anything except quality skeletal muscle (real meat).

On the brighter side, by-product meals are meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.

After the chicken liver flavor, we find soybean mill run.

Mill run is a by-product, mostly the hulls of soybeans remaining after processing the beans into meal. This is nothing more than a cheap, low-quality filler more commonly found in cattle feeds.

The sixth ingredient is corn gluten meal. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it.

Compared to meat, glutens are inferior grain-based proteins lower in many of the essential amino acids dogs need for life.

This inexpensive plant-based ingredient can significantly boost the total protein content reported in this dog food.

The seventh ingredient is soil oil, red flagged here only due to its rumored (yet unlikely) link to canine food allergies.

However, since soybean oil is high in omega-6 fatty acids and contains no omega-3′s, it’s considered less nutritious than canola or flaxseed oils.

The eighth ingredient is beet pulp. Beet pulp is a controversial ingredient, a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.

Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health and blood sugar benefits.

We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most dog foods is entirely acceptable.

The ninth ingredient is soybean meal. Soybean meal is actually a useful by-product. It’s what remains of soybeans after all the oil has been removed.

Soybean meal contains 48% protein. However, compared to meat, this item is considered an inferior plant-based protein providing a lower biological value.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.

With two notable exceptions

First, we find no evidence of probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing.

And lastly, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Non-chelated minerals are usually associated with lower quality dog foods.

Hill’s Prescription Diet W/D Canine Dry Dog Food
The Bottom Line

Even though this is a prescription product, we continue to limit our judgment to the estimated meat content of the recipe as well as the apparent quality of its ingredients. And nothing else.

Our ratings have nothing to do with the accuracy of claims made by the manufacturer as to this product’s ability to effectively treat or cure a specific health condition.

So, to find out whether or not this dog food is appropriate for your particular pet, you must consult your veterinarian.

With that understanding…

Judging by its ingredients alone, Hill’s Prescription Diet W/D Canine looks to be a below-average dry dog food.

But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 19%, a fat level of 9% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 64%.

Both W/D dry foods exhibit the same nutrient percentages.

Low protein. Low fat. And high carbohydrates when compared to a typical dry dog food.

However, when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the corn gluten and soybean meals, this looks like the profile of a dry dog food containing only a limited amount of meat.

What good W/D does by saving fat, it loses in protein and gains in carbohydrates. Plus it’s difficult to ignore the presence of so many undesirable red flag items.

Bottom line?

Hill’s Prescription Diet W/D is a plant-based dry dog food using only a limited amount of chicken by-product meal as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 1 star.

Not recommended.

Those looking for a slightly better weight loss kibble from the same company may wish to visit our review of Hill’s Prescription Diet R/D dry dog food.

A Final Word

This review is designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food. However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in specific health benefits for your pet.

For a better understanding of how we analyzed this product, please be sure to read our article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews

Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult a veterinarian for help.

Have an opinion about this dog food… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.

Notes and Updates

01/03/2010 Original review
08/08/2010 Review updated
11/13/2011 Review updated, name change only

  1. Hill’s Pet Nutrition Website, 8/8/2010
Dog Food Advisor IconThe Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.


  • Linda

    Finally, an answer to my concerns. My old lab has diabetes since June.. on insulin twice a day and the Vet put him on Hills W/D,, he did lose weight but I felt he was not getting the nutrition.. hind legs got weak and his hunger got bad.. Vet made no connection.. again and again I voiced this… but the constant pooping was NOT normal,, it tripled,many times it was coming out as he was eating or excited.. and was like cardboard,gross but I noticed his rectum was red and inflamed.. and he was trying not to go..  he was not the happy pooch he used to be.. All I wanted was for him to not suffer and enjoy his golden years.. Vet said I could give him half meals of Diet or Older dog food,, I noticed he acted better. I just took him off Hills W/D. Bless you for writing about this.. I am no vet,, just a dog owner.. but I still think older dogs even diabetic ones need food that will give them nutrients and some degree of fat for their joints..
    Linda

  • John

    Jany11……..

    I too am sorry for your losses.

  • Alexandra

    So sorry for your losses.

  • Jany11

    DOG OWNERS please think long and hard before feeding your dogs this food.  My Australian Shepherd became diabetic and my vet insisited on this food plus insulin.  I was totally trusting and ASSUMED that because it was so expensive and my vet told me to use it that it was the best for my dog.  I would have done ANYTHING for him. 
    Well, my younger dog keep eating the diabetic food so I switched both dogs to this food.  Nothing but the best for my babies, I thought.  All I can say is both my dogs are dead right now after eating this food for 8 months.  I am not crazy but a 7 year old and a 10 year old dog should not drop dead from EXACTLY the same thing!  Both had tumors that burst on their spleen.  The 7 year old died first and then 2 weeks later the 10 year died from the same thing.  I wish I was making this up but if my story can help even one person, please heed my advice….I wish I knew….I will never trust a vet again without researching on my own :(

  • Jany11

    I couldn’t agree with you more!  My 10 year old Australian Shepherd was diabetic and my vet almost insisted on this food.  He seemed to do ok but blood sugar levels had to be checked a lot.  I switched my younger 7 year old also because he wanted the food the other dog was eating.  Very expensive and I thought I was doing the best for my beloved dogs.  After being on this food for 8 months they both suddenly died from cancer.  Undetected spleen tumors that burst and they bled internally.  They died very quickly and they shocking thing is they died exactly 2 weeks apart from the exact same thing!  The 7 year old died first.  I am convinced the food had everything to do with this as NOTHING else changed in their lives.  BEWARE OF THIS FOOD.

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  • Meig

    My miniature dachshund had horrible intestinal problems consisting of massively bloody diarrhea, so the vet put her on Hill’s Prescription W/D, which completely solved the problem and she ate it for 16 years. She lived to be 17 years old. I want to feed my animals the best (my other dachshund eats Blue Buffalo and my cat eats Nature’s Balance), but I also think results speak for themselves as well. I think a lot of this dog food business is just that: business. None of these premium foods existed 20 years ago and one of my friends fed his dog Wal-Mart Old Roy and the dog lived to be 20 – a black lab mix. What really upsets me is people who are made to feel guilty for not spending a fortune on their pets’ foods. These same pets would have been euthanized otherwise, and are greatly loved. In this economy, people should not be made to feel guilty for feeding their pets whatever they can afford, especially if that enables them to keep their pets. I’m just saying’ …

  • sandy

    Have yall tried Nutrisca or a food similar to Nutrisca which uses lower glycemic ingredients – lentils mainly.

    Ex:

    http://nutrisca.dogswell.com/

    http://horizonpetfood.com/ Horizon Legacy & Amicus

    Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance line

  • Cheryl

    Sydney,
    Thanks for the tip I have a 11yrs olf poodle with diabetes for a yr in half 2 yrs in Feb I have problem with keeping his glucose stable and he did terrible on W/D too and scratched qll the time I am going to try the Solid Gold garlic, Vit E brewers yeast Bear wouldn’t eat green beans but I will try again Thanks

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Hayley… Until you mentioned this particular news item, I was unaware of the problem. Maybe another reader can shed some light on this. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

  • sandy

    Have you asked their customer service department?

  • Hayley

    Hi,
    Our 15 year old diabetic dog was doing well on the Purina Diabetic food until the manufacturer stopped supplies by VETS. We were moved to Hills W/D by the vets recommendation and then suffered with a dog who poo’d constantly. He went 3 times a day on the Purina diet but it seems this stuff made him go lots and indoors something he had never done in the past. It was almost as if the poor chap had to go every 2 hours. Our vets wanted to change him to something else, but we have managed to source the Purina Diabetic food by the internet and we are going to get him moved back to the food that suited him and kept him stable. Our question is whether the Purina has been withdrawn from market completely or just withdrawn from certain vets or have vets made that decision themselves?
    Hayley

  • Sydney

    I rescued a dog from my local shelter a couple months ago and he was diagnosed with diabetes a couple days later. Nigel is a 5-year-old shepherd-type mutt. My vet immediately prescribed Hill’s w/d (dry) along with 2X daily insulin shots. I’ve never liked Science Diet, but thought that the prescription might be better quality, so I bought a bag. I paid $35.58 for a 17.6 lb bag. Reading through the ingredients was really disappointing, and then stumbling across this review confirmed the food’s low quality. Also, I was shocked to hear that powdered cellulose (#2 ingredient) is really just saw dust. Diabetic dogs need fiber, but c’mon! I decided to give the food a try, though, because my vet was adamant that it would work. Every week we went in to check his blood sugar and things didn’t seem to be improving much. He wasn’t gaining any weight and his blood sugar was all over the place. The vet kept telling me to keep with the food, but increase his insulin 2 more units. Finally, after increasing to 11 units of insulin 2X daily, his blood sugar spiked to 325. I dumped the food.

    I didn’t have a clue what to switch him to initially, but did a lot of research into a diabetic dog’s needs. Low fat content seemed to be the most important, so I scoured through the reviews on here to find a decent quality, low-fat food. I came across Solid Gold Holistique Blendz, which had a slightly lower fat content than the w/d and was similar in protein & carbs, but contained better quality ingredients. It was also comparable in price to Hill’s w/d. Nigel has been eating the Solid Gold for slightly over a week now, along with green beens, a small clove of garlic, 200 IU vitamin E and 1 tablespoon of brewer’s yeast added to his food every day. The vet tested his blood sugar today and it was down to 78! We overshot a bit, as ideally the vet would like him around 110, but we’re on the right track. The vet told me to lower his insulin and continue feeding him what I’ve been feeding him.

    I’ll probably make a few more adjustments to his diet before I get it were I want it, but I’m excited that he’s making progress. I don’t think I could have figured it out without the information on this site. The reviews are very thorough and useful. Also, I would recommend steering clear of Hill’s w/d. There are so many better foods out there. Figure out what is truly best for your animal. Nutrition is your biggest tool in keeping your pet healthy!

  • Jan (Mom to Cavs)

    @Potvin, you are certainly entitled to your opinion….but mine is that these “reviews/ratings” are certainly NOT bogus! They are meant to inform and help dog owners with appropriate food choices. No one food works for all dogs, and there are a lot of choices out there, some good, some bad. I for one appreciate this site and Mike’s hard work. It helps me when I’m looking for certain things for my animals. Btw, if you feel this site and it’s “reviews/ratings” are bogus why did you even comment or read them?

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Potvin… Our ratings are never based upon expected results but rather ingredient quality and the apparent meat content only. Have you read this review? Especially the part that says:

    “This review is designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food. However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in specific health benefits for your pet.

    For a better understanding of how we analyzed this product, please be sure to read our article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews”

    Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition.”

  • Potvin

    Our three year old Scottie loves this food and thrives on it. His puppy food was Wellness Complete Health Super5Mix Chicken Recipe, which he enjoyed, and then we changed to Wellness Core Original when he got older because it was grain free and we thought he might have some allergy problems because of his excessive licking. Later we changed to Acana Pacifica on the advice of the pet store owner who thought Wellness’ quality had diminished. He did not like the Pacifica, he ate it, but reluctantly and later he developed some problems with blood in his stool. We were not sure why this was, but we thought it might have been the food or the Milk Bone treats we gave him. We never found out why he was having this problem(might have been unrelated to food) but on the recommendation of the vet we tried the Prescription Diet WD, which they also sell, so of course they recommend, but he seems to like it, his weight is steady, his stools are good but he still licks excessively. Each dog is different, so I find these reviews a little bogus.

  • sandy

    Here are some possibilities for you that aren’t full of corn and soy. Wellness Super 5 Healthy Weight (6-10 fat), Blue Buffalo Life Protection Healthy Weight Chicken & Brown Rice (6), Blue Buffalo Wilderness Healthy Weight (10), Blue Buffalo Longevity Mature (8), Nutrisource Weight Management (9-12), Dogswell Shape Up Chicken & Oats (8-9), Natural Balance Reduced Calorie (8), Nature’s Select Chicken Meal and Rice with Glucosamine (8), Nature’s Select Chicken & Beef with Salmon & Sunflower Oil (8), Nature’s Select Ultra Lite (6), Nutro Natural Choice Lite (8), Solid Gold Holistique blendz (8), Solid Gold MMillennia Beef & Barley (12), Amicus senior & weight Management (10.5-12), Wellness Core Reduced Fat (10-12), Wellness Small Breed Healthy Weight (9-11).

    You can add fiber with the pumpkin or even use psyllium powder from the health food store – sugar free/color free. And maybe use some digestive enzymes.

  • Nicole

    My dog (62 lb lab/pittie mix) was recently diagnosed with Pancreatitis and a week after feeding chicken and rice I am suppose to reintroduce dog food – thought Solid Gold Holistique would be good, but vet says it is too “rich.” If a dog food starting with oatmeal and main protein being whitefish is too rich, I’m not sure what to feed. So I came home from the vet today with a bag of prescription Hills WD and knew of its low quality, but I just want her stool to get back to normal! I feel so bad for my girl. I’ve tried pumpkin, greek yogurt, etc and nothing has worked in the last week. Hoping WD will at least get her back to normal but after another week, I am going to need a new low-fat, higher fiber, somewhat bland dog food to start blending in. Any suggestions?

  • Gordon

    OMG! A whopping 64% in DM carbs. Oh boyyyyyyy. Don’t they save money, but charge you a fortune. If only the protein and carb levels were swapped the other way around.

  • Melissa

    Sara,

    I am very curious to hear how your experiment with Wellness went. My 6-year old Brittany has the same gastrointestinal issues as your dog. She spent a few awful nights in emergency over the course of a year and finally the vet prescribed W/D. She has been on it now for 2 years and has had NO problems. However, I hate to be feeding her this junk. I tried to switch once to a better quality low-fat high fiber food but she got sick again. I am at a loss! Would love to hear your update.

  • DavidG

    From experience, I have to mirror the other people’s negative comments about Hills W/D.

    A few weeks ago, we found out that our 12-year old Wheaten developed chronic pancreatitis. She seems to be in great health other than elevated levels of an enzyme that points to the disease.

    Our vet recommended a low fat diet, and recommended the Hills Prescription W/D for her. Bad move.

    Her stool volume (at least) tripled, and she just wasn’t her happy self anymore. I expected this food to be good quality because of the price, and because it can only be bought from your vet, we fed it to our dog without question.

    After seeing the change in our dog, I did some research and came across this site and have since returned the Hills food and opted for the Blue Buffalo Longevity Senior food – because of it’s low (8%) fat and holistic ingredients. There may be better choices (Orijen, Canidae, etc) but all seemed to have higher fat content.

    It’s too early to tell if Blue is our long term answer, but she seems to find it appetizing, and she’s back to her happy self again.

    Shame on Hills for packaging the cheapest ingredients and selling it as a high end dog food as a regimen for pancreatitis. The feeding instructions on the bag are also WAY out of whack – almost double what she’s used to. The goal of this company is, without a doubt, charging the highest price possible, use the lowest cost ingredients, and “recommend” that your dog eats twice as much than she needs. Nice.

  • Diana

    Hi Sara,

    You sound just like me in trying to find a good quality food for your baby. I commented last year about my cocker spaniel w/a history of allergies and malignant melanoma.
    Have tried almost all the high quality foods you can find – that don’t interfer w/his allergy profile, and ended up back on the w/d kibble. Truly it is the only food that keeps his tummy and intestines in balance. He is much happier on it also. If you think about it, if your baby is always having loose stool, it can wear the immune system down so that he picks up other illnesses and feels miserable.
    I add a probiotic called acidophilis. I sprinkle it on the kibble. I found that using pumpkin for a long period of time, actually caused more problems w/his intestine. I also now boil/broil chicken breast and give him this w/his kibble. I feel this adds the necessary meat that he may be missing from the w/d.
    Just thought I would share my experience w/you since it sounded so familiar to my baby’s issues.

  • Jonathan

    Judi, give your pup any 4 or 5-star kibble, canned, or raw food and just make sure she gets the correct amount of calories. This food is a hot pile of industrial waste and carbohydrates. I know that, ethically, as a random commenter on a site, suggest that a “prescription food” be discarded, but when it comes to weight lose, there is no reason to feed this junk. NONE. If anyone is using this for weight loss, as advised by a Doctor of Veterinarian medicine, throw the remaining quantity away, set it one fire, and never completely trust what your vet says to you again. This is simply a bag of indigestible plant fiber (saw dust) that makes your dog think he’s full. There is nothing nutritious about it. If you are using it for a diabetic dog, then why the hell does this food have so many carbohydrates that must be neutralized by the absurdly high fiber content? Why not just make a food that’s low carb, low glycemic index, and high protein? There is no reason, except for profit margins. i love the idea behind this food… “oh no, our unnatural concoction of refined carbohydrates has made a dog diabetic or over-weight! Okay, I know how to fix it! Let’s just give it more of the same, but this time with a ton of fiber!”

  • Judi

    My dog is on RD (I just took her off) and her skin is very dry, she doesn’t look good. She’s apparently overweight (chihuahua) but I don’t believe this is a healthy food. She also hates it, and only will eat it when it’s been sitting all day and nothing else is offered. I’m looking for a homemade low fat dog food, or some healthy brand for her. I feel bad that I made her eat it for so long.

  • Sara

    thank you sandy, i actually just started him on the wellness super 5 reduced fat kibble yesterday. while i think that the core reduced fat seems better in general (and .5% higher fiber), i am worried since the w/d is SO high in grains (corn) that the grain free (core) would be way too abrupt a transition. the wellness super 5 seemed closest in makeup to the w/d but with much better ingredients and no preservatives. baby steps. will see how it goes. even if he ultimately cannot handle 100% non w/d and we end up still mixing a bit of w/d wet into a good kibble i will feel much better about what we are giving him. i would love it if we could axe the w/d all together but not at the expense of having his stomach torn up again.

  • sandy

    And maybe some salmon oil for his skin.